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Success has whetted their supporters’ appetites for more and by the finish they booed their players off the turf, much to the displeasure of their manager.

“I’m very disappointed with the fans,” Gus Poyet said. “Anyone who boos, I invite them to stay home. Proper supporters support the team every minute of the season.”

Criticism should be reserved for Brighton since they controlled proceedings but suffered from over-elaboration. Attacks were purposeful but a lack of incisiveness was crippling.

Frustration gripped them but the source of their exasperation was FC United goalkeeper, Sam Ashton. He was rejected by Bolton Wanderers and splits his time as a care worker with coaching in the community, but produced a display worthy of an accomplished stopper.

In stoppage time, with Brighton pummeling the box, Karl Munroe pole-axed Francisco Sandaza and Ashton plunged to his right to repel Elliott Bennett’s penalty.

That save sparked gasps but that was not an isolated moment of heroism. In the opening period he kept out Ashley Barnes’ point-blank header.

“Sam left Bolton and went from £60,000 a year to £60 a week,” FC United general manager Andy Walsh said. “He coaches in our community but he could play in the Football League.”

For a while FC United made a mockery of the 112 places that separate these clubs. Forward Michael Norton, a tiler by trade who earns £80 a week, pressurised Brighton’s backline.